Certified medical technician vs medical assistant

The differences between certified medical technicians and medical assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a certified medical technician and a medical assistant. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $34,900 average annual salary of a medical assistant.

The top three skills for a certified medical technician include patients, vital signs and CPR. The most important skills for a medical assistant are patients, vital signs, and patient care.

Certified medical technician vs medical assistant overview

	Certified Medical Technician	Medical Assistant
Yearly salary	$38,859	$34,900
Hourly rate	$18.68	$16.78
Growth rate	5%	16%
Number of jobs	164,424	189,915
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 24%
Average age	44	37
Years of experience	12	12

What does a certified medical technician do?

Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.

What does a medical assistant do?

Medical assistants provide support to medical practitioners in both administrative and clerical tasks. They keep and update the patient's medical records, administer medicines under the supervision of a physician, assist during medical examinations, prepare medical samples for laboratory testing, manage the schedule of appointments, and assist the patients with their bills and in filling out needed forms, such as insurance-related documents. Medical assistants should have good communication skills and analytical skills, be organized, and be flexible. They should also have knowledge of how to operate some medical equipment such as x-ray machines.

Certified medical technician vs medical assistant salary

Certified medical technicians and medical assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Medical Technician	Medical Assistant
Average salary	$38,859	$34,900
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $53,000	Between $27,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	Denton, TX	Vancouver, WA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Favorite Healthcare Staffing	Columbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between certified medical technician and medical assistant education

There are a few differences between a certified medical technician and a medical assistant in terms of educational background:

	Certified Medical Technician	Medical Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 28%	Associate Degree, 24%
Most common major	Nursing	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	University of Connecticut	-

Certified medical technician vs medical assistant demographics

Here are the differences between certified medical technicians' and medical assistants' demographics:

	Certified Medical Technician	Medical Assistant
Average age	44	37
Gender ratio	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%	Male, 10.4% Female, 89.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 25.7% Asian, 8.8% White, 49.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between certified medical technician and medical assistant duties and responsibilities

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Medical assistant example responsibilities.

Create and maintain confidential patient files; implement EHR systems to automate patient records management for the purposes of meaningful use.
Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Participate in emergency surgical intervention in obstetrics and gynecology patients.
Demonstrate proficiency in taking patient history and vitals, venipuncture, injections, urinalysis and preparing examination trays.
Attend to new out patients in gynecology clinic, make clinical diagnosis and follow up.
Provide RMA support to physician, and patients, including but not limit to vitals and patient history.

Certified medical technician vs medical assistant skills

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

Common medical assistant skills

Patients, 20%
Vital Signs, 10%
Patient Care, 9%
Phlebotomy, 4%
CPR, 4%
EKG, 4%

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Certified Medical Technician
Certified Medical Technician vs Medical Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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